Colombia-based Synergy Aerospace, whose parent Synergy Group is the majority owner of AviancaTaca and Tampa Cargo and owns several other airlines, has signed a...

Colombia-based Synergy Aerospace, whose parent Synergy Group is the majority owner of AviancaTaca and Tampa Cargo and owns several other airlines, has signed a firm order for nine Airbus A330-family aircraft.

The order includes six Airbus A330-200 passenger jets and three A330-200 Freighter aircraft.

Engine choice will be announced at a later date, according to Airbus. The manufacturer announced the order – which represents the firming of an earlier commitment by Synergy Aerospace – at the Farnborough International Airshow 2012.

An Airbus A330-200 Freighter in Airbus house colors takes off

In addition to owning a two-thirds stake in AviancaTaca, Bogota-based Synergy Group owns Tampa Cargo in Colombia; Avianca Brazil, VarigLog and Synerjet in Brazil; VIP and Aerogal in Ecuador; and Capital Airlines in Nigeria.

Synergy Group’s airline holdings make it appear likely the newly ordered A330-200 passenger jets will be operated by Avianca and the Airbus A330-200F aircraft by Tampa Colombia.

“The A330-200 is a great investment for Synergy thanks to its optimal fuel efficiency, low operating costs and outstanding environmental performance,” says German Efromovich, chairman of Synergy Group and of AviancaTaca.

“Airbus is proud that Synergy will be among the first in Latin America to benefit from the A330F’s outstanding economics and proven track record,” says John Leahy, Airbus’ chief operating officer, customers.

The Airbus A330 family, which spans 250 to 300 seats and includes Freighter, VIP, and Military Transport/Tanker variants, has now attracted orders for more than 1,200 aircraft and around 900 A330-family widebodies are flying with some 90 operators worldwide.

According to Airbus, the A330-200F can carry up to 70 tonnes of payload and offers a range of up to 4,000nm. More than 50 A330-200F freighters have been ordered by nine operators. To date, 12 A330-200Fs are flying with five operators.